Leakage caused by pressurisation
Challenge
Due to cost and weight reduction, glass fibre tubes are used for a special application. Severe leakage is observed at the top and bottom of a cylinder, where an o-ring was supposed to bring the desired sealing capability.
Solution
Extensive tests made us realize that the glass fibre tubes 'breathe' heavily when exposed to higher pressures. The expansion of the tube resulted in an above tolerable reduction of the o-rings preload, which ultimately led to insufficient sealing. We then developed a seal that can compensate for this breathing of the cylinder. The prototype of the special sealing profile that we produced proved itself in the following tests and applications.
